BJP MLA from Jaswan-Pragpur, Bikram Thakur, has accused the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government of deliberately excluding genuine and underprivileged families from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) list during the ongoing 18-month survey. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Thakur alleged that approximately 1.60 lakh deserving families have been removed from the BPL list due to repeated changes in eligibility criteria.
Central target not met
Thakur pointed out that the Central Government had set a target of 282,370 BPL beneficiaries for Himachal Pradesh, but the state government has failed to achieve this number. He claimed that the bureaucracy is dominating the functioning of the state government, and under the guise of poverty alleviation programmes, a campaign has been launched to remove thousands of poor families from the BPL list.
Eight notifications issued
The MLA alleged that the state government has issued as many as eight notifications amending the criteria for selection of BPL beneficiaries, creating widespread confusion among the public. “The government lacks a consistent policy. Repeated changes in selection norms are forcing poor families to make multiple visits to government offices and spend thousands of rupees on obtaining required certificates, only to be declared ineligible later,” Thakur said.
He specifically pointed out that under the revised criteria, any family having an adult male member between the ages of 27 and 59 years has been rendered ineligible for inclusion in the BPL list. “This is surprising and seems designed to exclude genuine beneficiaries,” he added.
Powers of gram sabhas curtailed
Thakur also alleged that the powers of gram sabhas, which are best acquainted with ground realities, have been curtailed and transferred to Sub-Divisional Magistrates and Block Development Officers. He claimed this is an organised bid to deprive genuine beneficiaries of welfare schemes.
The BJP MLA urged the state government to review the criteria and restore the role of gram sabhas in the selection process to ensure that only those truly in need are included in the BPL list.
